THE OTHER DEADLY KARMIC SINS

EGO &

JUDGMENT 
(which will be discussed later)

EGO    

“The light the Creator brought forth at the instant of creation shines into time and timelessness and space and space-lessness. This light is beheld by the soul and compels full knowledge of itself but is usually hidden behind the glitter of what attracts ego.”               The Ancestors

"In the samadhi that comes at the end of reasoning and discrimination no such thing as “I” exists but it is extremely difficult to attain as “I” consciousness lingers so persistently. This is why man is born again and again.” Sri Rama Krishna

“If a man be crossing a river and an empty boat collides with his own skiff, even though he be a bad-tempered man, he will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the boat he will shout at him to steer clear. If the shout is not heard he will shout again and yet again and begin cursing. And all because there is someone in the boat. Yet if the boat were empty he would not be shouting or be angry. If you can empty your boat (be free of ego) crossing the river of the world no one will oppose you, no one will seek to harm you." Lao Tzu

To the Ancestors, Narrow or Finite Mind is the same as Monkey Mind where our desires, habits, compulsions, addictions, fears and raw emotions reside. Spacious Mind is equivalent to Buddha or Christ consciousness or what Patanjali called the Intellectual or Discrimination Sheath in his "Sheaths of Consciousness." Our goals, aspirations, discernments, notions and higher ideas and ideals reside in Spacious Mind as do our feelings. Feelings need to be expressed, emotions need to be controlled. 

Ego, Narrow and Spacious Mind form a triad which is always in flux, the result depending on which one dominates. Creativity arises out of Spacious Mind. Very little creative happens in Narrow Mind which is part of our survival response and linked to our sympathetic flight or fight reaction. Spacious Mind engenders more of a relaxation, parasympathetic response. Functional M.R.I. studies show that Narrow or Monkey Mind is active in the more primitive areas of the brain whereas Spacious Mind lights up the prefrontal cortex. Devoted meditators seem to have more neuronal density here than non-meditators and default easily to this area as they quickly recover from stress. Most of us and especially those with O.C.D., P.T.S.D., anxiety or depressive disorders tend to get stuck in Narrow Mind whose default is the primitive mid-zone of the brain. The different qualities of the two are listed below. Meditative techniques allow us to subordinate Narrow to Spacious Mind and control Ego. 

NARROW OR FINITE MIND (MONKEY MIND)

Narrow Mind arises out of our thoughts which determine our words which in turn control our behavior, habits and actions.

“You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts; and when you can no longer dwell in the solitude of your heart you live in your lips; and sound is a diversion and a pastime. And in much of the talking, thinking is half murdered. For thought is a bird of space that in a cage of words may indeed unfold its wings but cannot fly." K. Gibran

"The things you do not have to say, make you rich. Saying things you do not have to say weakens your talk. Hearing the things you do not need to hear dulls your hearing. And things you know before you hear them those are you. Those are why you are in the world.” W. Stafford.

Qualities of Narrow Mind

•      Comfortable with what is known

•      Needs to understand

•      Reflects to scarcity

•      Clings and controls

•      Doubts and questions

•      Seeks love

•      Wants to convince others

•      Defends and insists

It is necessary to distinguish between Narrow or Monkey Mind and the Ego. They differ but the one supports the other.

EGO

…“I” consciousness lingers so persistently. This is why man is born again and again.” Sri Rama Krishna

The yogis tell us that any action bound to an ego motive can buy us another life time.

                        SPACIOUS OR INFINITE MIND

Qualities of Spacious Mind

•      Is comfortable with the unknown

•      Believe, surrenders and trusts

•      Acknowledges that abundance does not mean wanting more

•      Explores and expands

•      Embraces

•      Loves others

•      Learns from others

•      Offers and allows

“Spacious mind embraces narrow mind using it to its truest purposes as with a tamed ego.

Spacious mind does not deny, reject or ignore their clamorings for they serve an essential need.
Spacious mind allows narrow mind and ego their rightful place but does not let them reign.” The Ancestors

Ego is deceptive and like a chameleon is always changing colors to disguise and protect itself. The sages teach that the higher one gets up the vibrational and energy hierarchy the trickier ego gets. The solution – intensify one’s spiritual learnings and inner practice. Another warning about ego's duality ...

"Friend please tell me what I can do about this world I hold to and keep spinning out
I gave up sewn clothes and wore a robe but I noticed one day the cloth was well woven
So I bought some burlap but I still throw it elegantly over my left shoulder
I pulled back my sexual longings and now I discover I am angry a lot
I gave up rage and I notice I am greedy all day
I worked hard at dissolving the greed and now I am proud of myself
When the mind wants to break its link with the world it still holds onto one thing
Kabir says “Listen friend, there are very few who find the path”

“God’s breath is heard in quietness and felt in stillness.
Beware the noises and clamor of ego which drown out the Divine whisper.”

“This is what God asks of you, only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah

We can endeavor to strive for Unity Consciousness or the Oneness Experience rather than duality.

“Behind my work was ambition, behind my love was personality, behind my purity was fear, behind my guidance the thirst for power. Now they are vanishing and I drift. I come Mother I come, in your warm bosom – floating wherever you take me – in the voiceless, in the strange, in the wonderland. I come a spectator, No more an actor.” Swami Vivekananda

In yoga and Buddhist philosophy, it is possible to transcend ego and attain samadhi or the Oneness Experience. Jung, however, suggested that this might only be a fleeting phenomenon especially for the Western mind which tends to live in duality but may have momentary episodes of Unity Consciousness. Maslow called this the Peak Experience and the yogis defines it as being when;

 the Knower, the Known and the Process of Knowing 

all fuse into One. For example - where the Knower observing or Knowing a sunset becomes the sunset for a blissful but short period of time. The Ancestors seem to agree with Jung, that this is hard to sustain. 

The Eastern concept of the Oneness Experience may be the province of the enlightened few. One could question if even these Self-realized beings are able to live constantly without duality creeping in. Having had the experience, however, one is rarely the same again. Some experience this blissful and overwhelming oneness and love during a Near Death Experience.

“The challenge is relief from ego, how to be free from its tyranny.
The way is relief from ego, surrendering and releasing one’s instinct for protection and cultural conditioning; subduing its tyranny but with respectful and grateful acknowledgement for its appropriate worth.
The "prize" - the place of arrival - is relief from ego and a true sense of the pleasure of its place.”  The Ancestors

“About humility we speak with an analogy: When the branches are full of fruit, they just bow down.” Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

“All must be done for its own sake, not for reason of an outcome.
All is a journey not a destination and it is a continual arriving.”

“Do you listen with your heart or are you hearing with your ego.
The possible peril is not a punishment, it is a consequence.
…” The Ancestors

  Doing things for their own sake and without any personal agenda is the crux of ego subordination. Our deeds must be done for the greater good without consideration of any reward or pay back. Yoga teaches that any action bound to an ego motive will buy us another life time.

Click on the link and play
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THE THREE DEADLY SINS OF KARMA 
EGO - DESIROUS ATTACHMENT - JUDGMENT

 Although all three of these are manifestations of Ego, for ease of discussion their different shades or colors will be dealt with separately. Judgment deserves special mention, and like ego will be addressed later.
(Desirous Attachment or attachment to the object of our desire was also introduced in an earlier blog together with Non Attachment.) 


DESIROUS ATTACHMENT #2

The negative "faces" of DesirousAttachment that also reflect our Persona include: 

Possessions, Prosperity, Pride, Power, Prestige (or Fame.) Achievement, Greed and Lust, Knowledge.

Possessions and Prosperity

 “Narrow mind is about having 

 Spacious mind is about Being.”

The Ancestors

“By attributing worth to tangible objects humans becomes attracted to them; attraction brings desire for them; desire leads to competition and dispute. These create anger and the result is delusion. Delusion completely overcomes a human’s sense of right and wrong.” Srimad Bhagavatam

 “More possessions - more worry.
More generosity - more peace.
There is nothing wrong with possessions, only to being possessed by them.” Hillel

“Wants, needs and necessities have different characteristics. It is the want that is our enemy, not the need and necessity.” 

Sri Swami Rama

Pride, Prestige, Fame and Humility

“This is what God asks of you, only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah

“God cannot be realized if there is the slightest trace of pride.” Upanishads

Fame and honor are not the same!

”In seeking fame honor will be lost,
in seeking knowledge wisdom is forgotten,
and in ceasing to learn one ceases to live.” 
The Ancestors

Movie stars and musicians especially, and others, gain fame but rarely honor. They are frequently praised by the media on birthdays or on the days they died while those with honor, like Gandhi and Mother Theresa barely get any mention.

 “S/He who does good and does not pursue honor - honor overtakes.” Hillel

“As fame can enslave, so can the costs of money impoverish. Make sure the need is worth the price. To overpay can rob the Self.” 

“…We must beware of anger and pride which are weapons of chaos, connecting us to our destructive instincts.
”The Ancestors

Emperor Wu asked, “I’ve built temples and ordained monastics; what merit is there in this?”
Bodhidharma replied, “No merit.”

Humility is the antidote to fame, achievement and power, all of which are aspects of the ego.

“Humility is truthful acknowledgement of the wonders of yourself. It is taking appropriate credit for your part while recognizing God’s gifts to you. Humility rejoices and is grateful. True humility should make others know God better through you. One ought to marvel at what God can accomplish through you.”

"Modesty has to do, not entirely with a lack of bragging or adopting a kind of self-effacement (in fact one ought to glory and rejoice if others are edified by you.) 
It has more to do with realizing how small the container is for the your overwhelmingly great gift, yet trusting in God's offering and so accepting and using it without pretense.
True humility should make others know God better through you.
One ought to marvel at what God can accomplish through you.”               The Ancestors

“God gives the talent but He would not have an Antonio Stradivarius violin without Antonio's hands.” Stradivarius. 
This is true but one can sense a touch of arrogance and pride in this quote and one must be careful …                                                        

“There is no room for God in him who is full of himself. The sages tell us concerning the proud man; God says; “I and he cannot dwell together in the world.” Talmud.

The opposite, concerning false humility, is also true .                                                “Don’t be so humble, you are not that important.” Anonymous

Power

“Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character give him power.” A. Lincoln

"Power tends to corrupt and complete power corrupts completely."
 Lord Acton

The key to spiritual power is not to have POWER as such – but sadly no one would ever make the Dalai Lama the spiritual head of a government to help guide the politicians and hence the people.

Power in Information, Knowledge, Understanding 
(vs. Wisdom)

“The value of information resides in its use for transformation.”

“… Information if accurate, is neutral; it's uses are its virtues.”

“Those who exploit knowledge are lost to wisdom.
Wisdom is born of humility and is nourished by compassion - it is grace in action. When knowledge is used for only self-gain and control it is conceit in action…”

“Information is not to be equated with knowledge, knowledge is not to be equated with understanding, understanding is not to be equated with wisdom and wisdom is not to be equated with virtue or holiness.”

"Are you nibbling on the apples of the Tree of Knowledge or are you nurturing whatever proud plant or humble weed is your present entrustment?
It is that which you are to make glorious.” 
The Ancestors

"Narrow Mind (Monkey Mind) relies upon what is known to it, Spacious Mind ("Big" Mind) opens itself to what is unknown to it.

Narrow Mind will try to convince others. Spacious Mind will be open to what it can know from others.

Narrow Mind insists and defends, Spacious Mind offers and allows.

Narrow Mind clings to its ways of being and seeing. Spacious Mind uses its ways to explore and expand." 

The Ancestors

Lust and Greed 

(take these "P's" to another level of toxicity to the Self)

“Greed is not stilled with money any more than thirst is with salt water.” Ksemendra.

"The soul by reason of lust had become the principle accomplice in her own captivity.” Plato

“There is always enough as long as one is free from the compulsion for more.” The Ancestors

It is also vitally important that we do not let others exploit and let their desires and greed have power over us.

“Action must continually be weighed against intent to make sure it serves its honesty and purpose.
Beware of those who would pretend to noble intent that they might serve selfish motive with the use of good action.
Beware also those who act wrongfully or not at all but then make claim that their intent is good.
Look carefully to what you aspire, cherish and guard so as not to squander your gifts nor lose your heritage.” The Ancestors

This wisdom includes the energy vampires or the “barnacles” attached to the spiritual boat you are navigating down the river of life that make you less of who you are. Be aware and beware.

"Anything or anybody who does not make you more of who you are makes you less of who you are." The Ancestors

If we befriend those that are greedy, we are in danger of becoming greedy ourselves.

Click on the link and play

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P.S. sometimes when the blog is "published" the font size becomes erratic. Sorry I have no control of this no matter what I do to correct it. The very things that are hard to read may be the most important (tricksters?)

KARMA # 3

The other five factors besides Destiny

Correct injustice – heal the planet

Do no harm

Subordinate ego to the higher Self

Love

Be in joy doing all this

These will be discussed in more detail in later blogs but included here is some wisdom for the way from the Ancestors and others.

Correct Injustice - Heal the Planet

This is the essence of karma or service oriented yoga. Karma Yoga is the path of action and service to others with mindfulness. This service can manifest in many ways and for any or all of the Four Beings; Talking, Wild, Growing and Still (the planet Herself - Mother Nature.)

“Our role on earth is to correct injustices” The Ancestors

“We are here to help others - what others are here for - I do not know.”  W.H. Auden

“The worship most pleasing to God is service to others.” L. Boff

"I slept and dreamt that life was joy, I awoke and saw that life was service.  I acted and behold, service was joy." Tagore

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others …” A. Einstein

 “Give without remembering,
Take without forgetting.
Give freely.
Receive openly.
Do all with gratitude.
It is the way of love.
It is the way of joy. “ 
The Ancestors

 “I do not know what your destiny will be but the one thing I do know is that the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have learned and found how to serve.” A. Schweitzer

 “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”   
W. Churchill

Do No Harm

“See yourself in others then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?”  Dammapada

"We are all one, though not the same." The Ancestors.

"The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that, I am here and you are out there." Roshi

Ubuntu is a Bantu, Southern African concept. According to Bishop Tutu, Ubunti speaks to the essence of being human. 

"The solitary individual is a contradiction in terms. Ubuntu speaks about the importance of communal harmony; warmth, compassion, generosity, hospitality and seeks to embrace others.  You are a person only through other persons."

 “If I am not for myself who will be for me, if I am only for myself then what am I, and if not now then when?” Hillel

 “We are all in the same boat, upon a stormy sea and we owe to each other a terrible and tragic loyalty.” G.K. Chesterton

In judging ourselves, others or another we not only harm ourselves spiritually but the person we judge and others who may be listening to our judgments. Judgment is one of the three deadly sins of karma along with Ego and Desirous Attachment which will feature later.

“Love implies generosity, care, not to hurt another, not to make them feel guilty, to be generous, courteous, and behave in such a manner that your words and thoughts are born out of compassion.” Krishnamurti

Subordinate Ego to the Higher Self

“The Light of lights looks always on the motive, not the deed… the shadow of shadows, on the deed alone.” Yeats"

"God does not measure results, only the trueness of intent and the fervor of effort. This is why there is such joy in daring one's best." 

“All must be done for its own sake, not for reason of an outcome.
All is a journey not a destination and it is a continual arriving.”

“Do you listen with your heart or are you hearing with your ego.
The possible peril is not a punishment, it is a consequence.
…” The Ancestors

  Doing things for their own sake and without any personal agenda is the crux of ego subordination. Our deeds must be done for the greater good without consideration of any reward or pay back. Yoga teaches that any action bound to an ego motive will buy us another life time.

Love

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”  Rumi

“Love heals people… both the ones who give and the ones who receive it.” Karl Menninger

“But I say to you; deeds of love are worth as much as all the commandments of the law… not learning but doing is the chief thing.” Talmud

The yogis say that the most difficult chakra to open is the heart chakra. Kabbalah teaches that the student who has mastered Tiferet - the heart of the Tree of Life and love - can then teach him/herself. The San Bushmen say that if you want to be a powerful healer you must love everyone, no matter what you think of them.

Joy

“Cleanse the lens, adjust the focus, rid what clutters and impedes.
Shed and shie what keeps the soul from joy.”

“Remember that you are made not for brokenness and sorrow but for wholeness and for joy.”

Where there is love there is light.
Where there is gratitude there is light.
Where there is laughter there is light. The Ancestors

“Sometimes I go about pitying myself and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.” Ojibway

“Reflect on your present blessings of which every person has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all people have some.” Charles Dickens

“In the song of the rushing torrent hold onto the joyful assurance: I will become the sea. And this is not a vain supposition, it is absolute humility because it is the truth.” Tagore

“Serenity is not a passive condition but an undisturbed peace of mind, active and aware which can be quiet joy, sometimes ecstatic joy, always deep within spirit and light of heart.” Father Toomy

 In spite of all the positive things we do and actions we take, things may not work out the way we hoped.

“You cannot decide outcomes, only your choices. You cannot control results, only your actions, so it is best that we practice non-attachment to outcome.” The Ancestors

“God’s rivers of pleasure and good are not placid waters of insipid purity. They have currents of all strengths, frequently forming into wild twists and turns alongside gentle flows, all churning and tumbling into swirling pools too deep to fathom. They are for reflecting, playing and rejuvenating and then continuing endlessly onto their source.”

We need to be able to coexist with what is around us and what happens to us and not be discouraged. The temptation is to give up hope and  be influenced by the negativity in the ebb and flow of life which may seems to be getting worse day by day. We must resist going to the dark when there is just as much light around us if we look for it. Avoid too much social media, TV and toxic movies. A regular meaningful spiritual practice, done almost daily and whenever needed is essential for maintaining harmony and balance

"If you don't want to see the shadow, turn your face to the sun."  Aboriginal saying

“Joy is not incidental to your spiritual quest … it is vital.” 
Rev. Nachman

“… Do your work, then step back, the only way to serenity.” Tao Te Ching

Research on gratitude by Robert Emmons and others has shown that a gratitude practice can have profound effects on our equanimity and feelings of joy. Check out his work on line.

Click on the link to this song Giyabonga which says thank you in English, Afrikaans, Hebrew, Venda and Zulu.
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No one said this was easy.

Karma # 2

To the best of my understanding there are six main factors determining our karma and which challenge our free will. 

Fulfill your destiny

Correct injustice – heal the planet

Do no harm

Subordinate ego to the higher Self

Love

Be in joy doing all this

Destiny
(This week we will focus on destiny)

"The hunt for one's destiny is the hunt of one's life, stay on the scent, follow the spoor." The Ancestors

“Everyone has in him/her something Divine, something his own, a chance of perfection and strength, however small, a sphere which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find, develop and use it.”Sri Aurobindo

“In every person there is something precious which is in no-one else. And so we should honor each for what is hidden within them for what only they have.” Talmud

"The sages teach that all that happens; happens as it must.
What occurs cannot occur contrary to the conditions of its occurring or contrary to its nature.
A cedar tree does not spring from an acorn." The Ancestors

“… Each soul makes Two agreements upon entering the world. The First binds the individual to a distinct destiny that becomes the soul’s great project in life. The Second entangles each person in the limitations of fate and responsibilities for family and community. 
While all second agreements can be renegotiated, the first is non-negotiable.” 
Michael Meade

“It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.”  
William Ernest Henley

Fate involves the circumstances surrounding us and our destiny mission. Fate is the cards we are dealt in life which may have a lot to do with our karma. It is said that one's fate may be determined by geography or one's Zip code and there can be truth to that. However, we need to rise above our fate and into our true destiny path. Destiny will be fashioned by our choices – skillful or not. Destiny is that illusive, but unique gift we were granted so that we could give of ourselves to the planet and all Beings. Most of us do not find it easily.

“All the talents of God
are within you.
 How could this be otherwise when your soul is derived  from His
genes!” 
Hafiz

We co-create with the Divine – His/Her creation cannot fully manifest without our help. God wants a personal relationship with each one of us. There is a direct link in the search for the Self and the Hero/ine’s search for his/her archetype or destiny path. They are shades of the same thing.

“Hold to your vision - be true to your myth.” J. Campbell 

“… put out to sea! Save your boat’s journeying soul, cost what it may.” 
Dom Helder Camara
You cannot separate the Soul from your destiny path.

“The outward work can never be small if the inward one is great, and the outward work can never be great if the inward is small or of little worth... All works are surely dead if anything from the outside compels you to work. Even if it were God himself compelling you to work from the outside, your works would be dead. If your works are to live, then God must move you from the inside, from the innermost region of the soul - then they will really live. There is your life and there alone you live and your works live.” Patanjali

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” Patanjali

Seligman the father of positive psychology would describe this as finding one's core or signature strength and meaning in one's life.

“Unthinking conformity no matter how piously enacted lacks meaning and as such is soulless.
One must be bold in questioning; that to just accept without inquiry is simply surface learning by rote not the deeper learning of thoughtful consideration.
Our deeds fashion our destiny so do our understandings fashion our deeds.” The Ancestors

There can be no copy-cat destiny path, we have to find our own way and our own spiritual path to assist us along the way. We cannot come to end of our lives with a mission that society or our parents have laid out for us. Yes, “Everything is foreseen, yet freedom of choice is given.”  Akiva.
We have the free will to do as we please but will have to come back later to get it right if we are misdirected. 
Frequently when I do a divination, the Destiny bone is mal-aligned. When I ask the person what do they do as opposed to what they would they have done, if they had had the choice - their heart's choice would often have been very different.

Of all the teachings the Ancestors have given us, there are a plethora around us being truly congruent with ourselves.

“Anything or anybody who does not make us more of who we are makes us less of who we are.” 

We have to be truly ourselves in manifesting our unique God given gifts.

"The focus is on becoming more of who you are. 

You must free yourself to be yourself.
Do not be captive to the demands of false duty.
Do not take on what is not yours to take on.
If you will not be you who then will be? 
Be patient with yourself, kind to yourself and release yourself from what you are not accountable."

"God most delights when you are most you, when you are being most yourself." 

"Look carefully to what you aspire, cherish and guard so as not to squander your gifts nor lose your heritage."

“You must free yourself to be yourself. Do not be captive to the demands of false duty.
Be attentive only to the responsibility of what compels.
Bestow blessings, refuse burdens.
What makes you beholden enslaves you.
What makes you grateful blesses you.
What you touch, touches you. What you let touch you, enhances or diminishes.” 

"The most dangerous distraction is the lure of beguiling but essentially extraneous information - be it false or true. More important, is it useful to you, does it inspire, support, advance and enhance who you are and your relationship with God or is it merely speculative, and appealing to your curiosity?"

Are you nibbling on the apples of the Tree of Knowledge or are you nurturing whatever proud plant or humble weed is your present entrustment? It is that which you are to make glorious."

"Whoever does not help you be more of you, lures you to be less of you and then neither of you blesses or is blessed. S/He who helps you be more of you well-serves both himself and you so that you each can bless and are blessed."

The Ancestors

Congruence: Emotions and their expression match and behavior arises from the root of their being. They sing their own song and do not do things for others’ approval. Soul, heart and intellect are congruent.
"Care about others' approval and you will be their prisoner." 
Tao Te Ching

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” C.J. Jung

“This above all, to thine own self be true.” Shakespeare

We may have found our destiny but it is vital to do it it within the integrity of the laws of spirit. 

Click on the link to play
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